WEEKEND EDITION
THE WEEK
IN PHOTOS
HERMISTON’S BOLEN CHANGING OF THE GUARD:
RIDES HIGH AT MORGAN DOLE JOINS EO STAFF,
HORSE CHAMPIONSHIPS CASTLE SAYS GOODBYE
SPORTS, B1
REGION, A3
E O
AST
145th Year, No. 13
LOCAL, A9
REGONIAN
NOVEMBER 14-15, 2020
$1.50
WINNER OF THE 2020 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
Democrats won’t reach 2/3rds in Legislature
Oregon Democrats
predicted to hold
onto three-fi fths
supermajority in the
state Senate, House
By SARA CLINE
Associated Press/Report for America
SALEM — Oregon’s Demo-
cratic lawmakers will fall short of
winning enough state legislative
seats to prevent Republicans from
staging walkouts that have halted
action at the Capitol in recent years.
Connor Radnovich/Salem Statesman-Journal, File
A group, including three Democratic senators, stand among the empty
desks of Republican senators during a Senate fl oor session at the Oregon
Capitol in Salem on May 7, 2019.
Following the unoffi cial results
of the 2020 election, Oregon Demo-
crats are predicted to hold onto their
three-fi fths supermajority in the
state Senate and House. However,
the party did not pick up enough
seats to expand to a quorum-proof
majority, which would prevent
work from ceasing in the Capitol if
Republicans leave Salem again.
“It looks to me like the Demo-
crats performed almost exactly as
expected but not quite up to their
hopes,” said Christopher McKnight
Nichols, an associate professor at
Oregon State University’s School of
History, Philosophy, and Religion.
“Republicans held just enough seats
to not become functionally irrele-
vant in Salem.”
Democratic lawmakers easily
won in reliably blue areas, such as
Portland and comfortably held onto
seats in the suburbs.
But along the coast three Demo-
cratic seats had fl ipped, according to
unoffi cial vote counts published on
Oregon’s Secretary of State website.
None of the three seats had a Demo-
cratic incumbent candidate running.
Despite Democrats and support-
ers pouring more than $400,000
into ads, in an effort to keep House
District 32, which has been held by
See Democrats, Page A11
Enterprise
zone
agreements
get green
light
BACK IN TIMEOUT
Oregon put in ‘two-week
freeze’ to slow rapid
spread of COVID-19
By ALEX CASTLE
East Oregonian
Move clears the way for
a pair of $200 million
Amazon Data Services
campuses in Umatilla
U
MATILLA COUNTY —
Oregon is being put on a “two-
week freeze” in an attempt
to curb the rapid spread of
COVID-19, Gov. Kate Brown
announced at a press confer-
ence on Friday, Nov. 13.
The freeze will be in effect
statewide from Wednesday, Nov. 18, to
Dec. 2.
“COVID-19 is raging across Ore-
gon,” said State Health Offi cer Dr. Dean
Sidelinger. “The virus is spreading fast,
and threatens to overwhelm our hospitals
across the state with severely ill patients if
we all don’t act now.”
During this two-week period, restau-
rants and bars are limited to takeout only,
while gyms, fi tness organizations, indoor
and outdoor recreation facilities, and event
venues will be closed entirely. Capacity at
grocery and retail stores will be capped at
75%, and social gatherings are limited to
no more than six people from no more than
two households.
Faith-based organizations will also be
limited to gatherings of 25 people indoors,
or 50 people outdoors. All other restric-
tions and guidelines remain in place,
and businesses are required to mandate
employees work from home “to the great-
est extent possible.”
Brown said individual counties may be
held in this freeze beyond Dec. 2 depend-
ing on local case numbers. Multnomah
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
UMATILLA — Umatilla County and
the city of Umatilla have both approved
enterprise zone agreements with Ama-
zon Data Services for two new $200 mil-
lion data center campuses in Umatilla.
Umatilla City Manager David Stock-
dale said the agreements differ some
from previous tax abatement agreements
the city has entered into for data centers
in the past, but are very similar to agree-
ments that Hermiston and Boardman
have both entered into with Amazon over
the past year.
The long-term enterprise zone agree-
ment exempts Amazon from property
taxes on the developments for 15 years,
provided Amazon makes at least a $200
million investment in each development,
hires at least 10 full-time employees for
the site and provides compensation for
those employees at least 130% of Uma-
tilla County’s average wage.
Stockdale said the formula for pay-
ments that Amazon will make in lieu
of taxes includes a minimum of $2 mil-
lion per year to be split between the city
See Timeout, Page A11
An electronic billboard along Southgate in Pendleton advises that Umatilla County has
rising case numbers and test positivity rates on Friday, Nov. 13, 2020.
See Amazon, Page A11
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
DOC accepts less-than-ideal offer from community colleges
BMCC president said
more negotiations
could be necessary
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
SALEM — Blue Mountain Com-
munity College and several other
community colleges seemingly
saved their prison education pro-
grams from the chopping block, but
it could come at a steep expense.
On Thursday, Nov. 12, the Ore-
gon Department of Corrections sent
out word to stakeholders that it was
accepting an offer from the Oregon
Community Colleges Association
to retain contracted adult educa-
tion services within the state prison
system.
“The Oregon Department of
Corrections (DOC) and the Ore-
Bailey-Fougnier said the deal would
still result in substantial cuts at Blue
Mountain’s Corrections Education
program, which offers GED classes
and other adult education courses at
Eastern Oregon Correctional Insti-
tution, Two Rivers Correctional
Institution and Powder River Cor-
rectional Facility in Baker City.
Bailey-Fougnier said the associa-
gon Community College Associa-
tion (OCCA) worked diligently to
create a plan that prioritizes learn-
ing for adults in custody and have
come to an agreement regarding the
path forward,” DOC communica-
tions manager Jennifer Black wrote
in a Friday, Nov. 13, email. “DOC
has accepted an option, put forward
by the community colleges, that
increases direct education services.”
But BMCC President Dennis
COVID-19 NUMBERS
See DOC, Page A11
2 WEEK TOTALS FOR WEEK ENDING 11/14/20
IN UMATILLA COUNTY
RISK LEVEL
HIGH
TOTAL
2 WEEK
CASE COUNT
269
TOTAL
CASE GOAL
40
OR LESS
OVER 2
WEEKS
POSITIVE
TEST RATE
%
20.7
POSITIVE
3.1 TEST GOAL
%
5 %